2018 Football Non-Game Thread

[VULB#62]

For YSU, it's just next man up (at least with respect to us).

[78crusader]

Since we play @Duquesne and @ YSU the first two games, a pretty good case can be made that the Truman State game will be the key game of the season. 

Paul

[VULB#62]

TSU was picked to finish 4th in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (D-II).  It's the same conference that Willian Jewel is in.  U of Indianapolis was the near unnanimous preseason choice for #1. 

So, yes, after demanding games against DU and YSU, we need to have a powerful showing going into the PFL schedule.  Then the next week is Homecoming against Davidson with a new coach and a new option (yuk!) offensive scheme.

[usc4valpo]

If Seewald can play, we have a fighting chance against Duquesne.

[JD24]

They?  NDSU, I would agree. Forget about the others. UMass was an FCS national champion and was a runner up a couple of times as well. And this UMass program now is head and shoulders above that previous level. Don't be deceived. There is s difference between FBS  and FCS.

Sagarin ratings have NDSU 36. SDSU 66 (with a 10 team grouping of South Fl, Indiana, Army, Purdue, Kentucky, Temple, Fresno St). They would wipe out UMass. Northern Iowa is 78 (Virginia, Wyoming, Syracuse). They would beat up on UMass as well. UMass is 139 (Stoneybrook, Montana, Old Dominion). North Dakota State, South Dakota State and Northern Iowa are the three highest rated FCS schools in the Sagarin Ratings. James Madison is next.

Having said that, forget the darn UMass score. Duquesne is gonna be one tough game and we are underdogs. Then we go into the YSU grinder. And Jimmy might not even play vs. Duquesne  or YSU (I know I wouldn't play him if he wasn't 100%). As JD 24 said about Cecchini's statement:  we ain't sneaking up on no one. Upside, we'll have two game tapes to their last year's tape.

I agree that Duquense is going to be tough to beat. They'll recall last year's game when Valpo got back into the game late. It will also be Duncan's first game starting assuming Seewald is a no go.

[JD24]

TSU was picked to finish 4th in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (D-II).  It's the same conference that Willian Jewel is in.  U of Indianapolis was the near unnanimous preseason choice for #1. So, yes, after demanding games against DU and YSU, we need to have a powerful showing going into the PFL schedule.  Then the next week is Homecoming against Davidson with a new coach and a new option (yuk!) offensive scheme.

I don't think Truman will be the pushover our walkover game was last season and Valpo has to hope they come out of the beat 'em up games not too beat up. They should beat TSU but it could be closer than Trinity Intl.

I don't see Davidson winning a PFL game this season other than perhaps Stetson which is Davidson's homecoming game. The option can be a pain to defend but they just haven't had time to install. It took Jacksonville a full season plus off season to begin to get it down last year. Davidson will likely come in to Brown Field 3-1 as they play three lower level teams and the Dayton the week prior to Valpo. Might be a good way to gauge a bit how Valpo stacks up vs the rest of the PFL as I think Dayton will be #2 behind San Diego.

[VULB#62]

TSU was picked to finish 4th in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (D-II).  It's the same conference that Willian Jewel is in.  U of Indianapolis was the near unnanimous preseason choice for #1. So, yes, after demanding games against DU and YSU, we need to have a powerful showing going into the PFL schedule.  Then the next week is Homecoming against Davidson with a new coach and a new option (yuk!) offensive scheme.

I don't think Truman will be the pushover our walkover game was last season and Valpo has to hope they come out of the beat 'em up games not too beat up. They should beat TSU but it could be closer than Trinity Intl.

I don't see Davidson winning a PFL game this season other than perhaps Stetson which is Davidson's homecoming game. The option can be a pain to defend but they just haven't had time to install. It took Jacksonville a full season plus off season to begin to get it down last year.

Absolutely no doubt that TSU will be much tougher than TIU was. No way we can mail in the result.  I will be there to make sure the team's head is on straight 

Despite my avatar, I have a pessimistic gene or two and Davidson scares me (just like every other PFL team) because they had some talent in the past but were poorly coached. The new guy has a very good history and has been an option advocate for some time. So he might be able to pull off a quick transition and give us some fits. But no matter how successfl his first recruiting class might be, they are still freshman and it will be up to the returnng players to assimilate the new systems and that will be difficult in so short a time.

[valpofb16]

Truman State lost to Michigan Tech 10-20
Morehead State lost 23-49 to Eastern Kentucky

Our opponents are a combined 0-3 out the gate, Duquesne and Morehead scores don't mean much as they were playing higher competition. Morehead scored two garbage TD's to make score closer. Michigan Tech is coming off a 4-7 season and won at Truman

[vu72]

Season preview!

http://valpoathletics.com/football/news/2018-19/18373/season-preview-opener-within-sight-as-valpo-football-prepares-to-kick-off-2018-season/

[VULB#62]

The main theme of the preview is experience and depth. 

"A program that previously relied upon true freshmen to produce right away has no such issue this season, as the two-deep features 11 seniors and 12 redshirt juniors combined between offense and defense. A year ago Valpo had five players in their fourth or fifth year of college football on the two-deep for the opener. In 2016, they had 11 and nine in 2015. This year – 23."

However, Jimmy Seewald is still listed as only questionable for Duquesne     . Hopefully Chris Duncan has kicked up this skills and decision making enough to do well against the Dukes.

[usc4valpo]

They need Seewald to beat Duquesne and make the Fargo Dome dream come true.

[JD24]

Despite my avatar, I have a pessimistic gene or two and Davidson scares me (just like every other PFL team) because they had some talent in the past but were poorly coached. The new guy has a very good history and has been an option advocate for some time. So he might be able to pull off a quick transition and give us some fits. But no matter how successfl his first recruiting class might be, they are still freshman and it will be up to the returnng players to assimilate the new systems and that will be difficult in so short a time.

I took a look at Washington and Lee's offense under Abell and it is really a funky triple option. It isn't a flexbone and lines up as a modified pistol although it is a running offense while the pistol is a lot of passing. Based on what I saw, I can't see a first year in that offense working very well particularly early in the season. There's a lot of sandlot to the offense which, until it is really down, means a ton of turnovers.

[VULB#62]

Thanks, JD, for that analysis. It's comforting to hear that. But, damn, that means extra hard work to prepare for yet another non-standard offense. But I have enough confidence in Dave and the staff that they will get it done.

On a different tack, I have an unsettling concern that the team will believe all the "experience and depth" talk and just assume they will win. We, as a competitive program, are still VERY green and will still be subject to sudden acts of dumbness and lack of consentration. We very easily might still lose games we shouldn't lose because of it. This team has to always play every game with a big chip (like almost two decades of failure) on their shoulders. To do less means unacceptable defeats.

[JD24]

On a different tack, I have an unsettling concern that the team will believe all the "experience and depth" talk and just assume they will win. We, as a competitive program, are still VERY green and will still be subject to sudden acts of dumbness and lack of consentration. We very easily might still lose games we shouldn't lose because of it. This team has to always play every game with a big chip (like almost two decades of failure) on their shoulders. To do less means unacceptable defeats.

I don't think you and I differ much in our cautiousness with the upcoming season. While last season Valpo beat up on Marist(in a bizarre game) and MSU in the middle of the season almost out of nowhere, the team was a play away from losing to Stetson at home, lost to Drake handily...a team this board seems to think Valpo has moved to even with which I don't understand, lost to both Jacksonville and Campbell and beat Dayton in a really sloppy game in a year Dayton really struggled in...something I don't think is going to occur again this season.

While the team was certainly better and more competitive last season....something which had begun to be turned around the year prior...there wasn't a lot of dominance last year and they would have had the sneaking up on teams play into their favor.
Valpo has a lot of returnees and upper classmen playing. That's a great situation in terms of being competitive with teams which always are loaded with more experience such as Drake and Dayton. Butler, this season, is also in the same situation as Valpo and if Jacksonville gets the option down a little more efficiently the potential for that team being a juggernaut is pretty high.

So, while I expect wins and perhaps handily vs Stetson, Davidson, MSU and maybe Marist, the rest of the schedule is going to be really tough.

I'm also still quite concerned about the QB situation until either Seewald plays and appears healthy or whoever replaces him shows to be a QB to count on. Also, something kind of glossed over in that article is the status of Jean Rene. If he's not healthy and at or near 100%, the WR group is really an unknown. Without Navarro and Catrine and now possibly Rene to some degree, I'm not sure who the go to guys are. The rest of the group from last season were more occasional big play guys than the guys needed to count on to get the 3rd and 8 first downs required to win games. Maybe one of the freshmen steps up.

Cant say I'm all that giddy about the RB situation either although that is a position in which a freshman can show immediately. Morgan's going to be missed...until he isn't.

With all that said, the OL and defense should be pretty solid.

[FWalum]

I'm also still quite concerned about the QB situation until either Seewald plays and appears healthy or whoever replaces him shows to be a QB to count on.

Reminds me a lot of last years talk surrounding Andrew Luck. 

[hailcrusaders]

Butler knocked off #24 Youngstown State. As much as I don't like Butler, beating a ranked scholarship team is pretty impressive.

[vu72]

Butler knocked off #24 Youngstown State. As much as I don't like Butler, beating a ranked scholarship team is pretty impressive.

Wow!     Maybe the PFL is better than we think! 

[JD24]

Can look at that Butler result from a number of different angles.

YSU not as good as presumed.

Butler a lot better than presumed.

Both.

Just a fluke.

[valpofb16]

Duquesne 1-1 45-0 Win vs Lockhaven (D2)
YSU 0-1 Lost 21-23 Butler (FCS)
Truman 0-1 Lost 20-10 Michigan Tech (D2)
Davidson 1-0 Won 34-13 Brevard (D3)
Dayton 1-0 Won 49-28 Robert Morris (FCS)
Butler 1-0 Won 23-21 YSU (FCS)
Morehead St 0-1 Lost 23-49 EKU (FCS)
Drake 0-0 (William Jewell game cancelled)
Marist 0-1 Lost 14-39 Georgetown (FCS)
Jacksonville 1-0 Won 63-14 St Augustine (D2)
Stetson 1-0 Won 48-7 Point (NAIA)

[JD24]

For all the talk of Davidson's new offense, they basically played the same game against Brevard that they did last year. They ran it the same and passed it the same. Gave up a bit more but nothing substantial. Chowan is next and might give them more of a battle.

Dayton's win over Robert Morris was impressive. Robert Morris beat them last year and has played them pretty tough even in years in which Dayton has been dominant in the PFL. This playing 3 quarters with a redshirt freshman at QB after Jeske was injured early.

Stetson vs. Point and Jacksonville vs. St. Augustine's probably fall into a category of why didn't they schedule a good FL HS team instead. It would have been more competitive.

Marist getting pummeled doesn't bode well for them. We know what Duquense will bring and Truman? Who knows?

[JD24]

Don't know if this belongs in the non GDT but anyone who plans on streaming Valpo games should be aware that at least 4 Crusader games will be streamed on ESPN+ and not on ESPN3. ESPN+ is a pay service...currently it is $5.00/mo...while ESPN3 is available free of charge through your cable subscription (assuming ESPN is part of your package). The Duquense game is available via NEC streaming. The YSU game will be the first game available on ESPN+. The Butler, Jacksonville, and Drake games are also on ESPN+.

I think there is a current one month free trial if anyone wishes to give it a shot.

[vu72]

I think there is a current one month free trial if anyone wishes to give it a shot.

On a different thread, 20 of us have already indicated that we have signed up for ESPN+.

[JD24]

On a different thread, 20 of us have already indicated that we have signed up for ESPN+.

So you're saying I'm a little late for the party 

[vu72]

I just went back to the roster from four years ago to see how much some of the seniors had gained weight wise by being in the weight room for four years.  Some of these changes are amazing.

Name                      Fr. Weight      Sr. Weight
Jarrigan                         270               300
Schofield                        260               270
Cotton                           260               275
Trumpower                    235               290
Lundberg                       260               270
Taliaferro                       260               310
Sullivan                         260               290
Rentschler                      285              295
Sturdyvin                       245               280
Snouffer                        205                230
Wheeler                         220               235
Turner                           230               240

[VULB#62]

And that's how good programs progress. No quick fixes. The normal progression over 4-5 years that couples natural physical maturity with a good weight program and other conditioning techniques pays off. That progression has not been realized until now. Thanks, Dave, for remaining consistent, staying the course and believing in your system.   And thanks to the kids for believing in all that.